The present invention relates to an electrical connector for a flat conductive member.
A conventional electrical connector for a flat conductive member is mounted to a circuit board to connect the circuit board and the flat conductive member such as a flexible printed circuit board (FPC), a flexible flat cable (FFC), and the likes. As an example of the conventional electrical connector for a flat conductive member, an electrical connector in which a pressing member is provided has been known. The pressing member is operated between an open position to receive the flat conductive member and a closed position to press the flat conductive member to a contact portion of a terminal. In such an electrical connector, the pressing member is supported to be rotatable around a rotation shaft of the pressing member, so that the pressing member moves between the open position and the closed position through a rotation.
For example, Patent Reference has disclosed an electrical connector to which a pressing member having a lid shape is attached to an opening portion of a housing thereof to be rotatable.
Patent Reference Japanese Patent Publication No. 08-195256
In the electrical connector disclosed in Patent Reference, a locking portion having a shaft shape is provided on both ends of the pressing member in a terminal arrangement direction. The locking portion protrudes outside a terminal arrangement range in the terminal arrangement direction. The locking portion is retained in a locking groove portion that is formed in a housing to be rotatable.
A rotation supporting portion having a projected circular arc shape is fitted in a rotation groove portion having a recessed circular arc shape to be rotatable inside the terminal arrangement range. The rotation supporting portion having a projected circular arc shape is formed in a contact of each terminal. The rotation groove portion having a recessed circular arc shape is formed in the pressing member.
More specifically, the rotation groove portion engages with the rotation supporting portion that is positioned in an upper portion from below and is not supported from below. As described above, the pressing member is supported to be rotatable by the locking groove portion of the housing on both ends in the terminal arrangement range and by the rotation supporting portion of the terminal inside the terminal arrangement range.
In the electrical connector disclosed in Patent Reference, a sucking surface is formed as a horizontal plane on a top face of the pressing member at the open position, so that the sucking surface is sucked to a lower edge opening of a suction member of an automatic assembling device.
In the electrical connector disclosed in Patent Reference, the pressing member is supported on both edge portions outside the terminal arrangement range. Further, the pressing member is not supported inside the terminal arrangement range from below. Accordingly, when the lower edge opening of the suction member applies an excessive load to the sucking surface from above upon an automatic mounting by a suction conveyer, the pressing member may be displaced (moved or deformed), thereby making the suction operation unstable. In particular, when the pressing member has a large width in the terminal arrangement direction, the suction member tends to apply an excessive load and the suction operation becomes unstable.
In view of the problems described above, an objective of the present invention is to provide an electrical connector for a flat conductive member. In the electrical connector of the present invention, even when a suction member applies an excessive load to a sucking surface of a pressing member from above, the pressing member is not displaced, thereby achieving a stable suction operation.
Further objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description of the invention.